Propoxyphene
Pronunciation:proh-POX-i-feen
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:469-62-5. (Hydrochloride form
1639-60-7)
Formal Names:Algaphan, Algodex, Antalvic, Darvocet, Darvon, Depronal, De-
velin, Dexofen, Distalgesic, Dolene, Dolocap, Doloxene, Doraphen, Erantin,
Mardon, Novopropoxyn, Pro-65, Proxagesic, Wygesic
Informal Names:Pink Ladies, Pumpkin Seeds
Type:Depressant (opioid class).Seepage 24
Federal Schedule Listing:Schedule II and Schedule IV controlled substance, de-
pending on amount (large quantities are Schedule II, DEA no. 9273; individual
doses are Schedule IV, DEA no. 9278)
USA Availability:Prescription
Pregnancy Category:C
Uses.Propoxyphene has two isomers that are mentioned in drug control
matters. Isomers are varieties of a chemical having the same components but
different appearances; we might say that a person’s right hand is an isomer
of the left hand. The levopropoxyphene isomer of propoxyphene may work
as a cough suppressant and is not a scheduled substance. The dextropropox-
yphene isomer is the controlled substance and for convenience is simply called
propoxyphene in this book.
Propoxyphene is a relatively mild pain reliever introduced in the 1950s. As
the 1970s began, it was the most commonly prescribed pain reliever in Amer-
ica. One authority describescodeineas three times stronger than propoxy-
phene; another says the two drugs are about equal. Either way, propoxyphene
is one of the less potent opioids. A typical use is for easing chronic moderate
pain, as in osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other afflictions of the joints.
The drug is also given to control early stages discomfort in cancer and has
had experimental success in treating headache. In addition to pain reduction,
propoxyphene has shown occasional usefulness for treating “restless leg syn-
drome,” a condition in which people have difficulty sleeping and feel a need
to frequently move their limbs day and night. Little or no improvement was
seen, however, when an experiment used the drug against Tourette’s syn-
drome, an affliction involving tics.
The substance has cross-tolerance with other opiates/opioids and can com-